abhi

I like to blend my own spice mix most of the time (varying combinations and proportion of cumin, coriander, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom (green or black) , cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and bay leaves) but I love Baadshah meat masala. For one of my goat preparation it is a must. Mmmmm. Also, kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves) is my secret ingredient in quite a few dishes. One combination I like is the achaari masala (black mustard seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and black pepper corn). The fennel and the fenugreek seeds will bring out the smell of the good old aam ka achaar! Usually use it with yogurt for thick curries. cheers.

I have cooked mostly all sorts of Indian lentils but among thme tuar (or arhar or rahar) the most. Depending on the company and what kind of dal they were raised on I have been made to cook dals with different textures (the same dal). Lets take the example one of the more common dal in indian restaurants, tuar. So some people like to cook it to a semi pureed form and then they use a whisk before serving it to actually turn it into more of a soup. Not my preference though. The region I grew up in, we prefer the dal to be "blossomed" which is to saythat the dal is cooked completely and does not have bite to it but it still retains the shape. Using turmeric gives it a bright yellow color and looking at the finished product it makes sense why old timers called it "blossomed" Anyway, my formula is (for tuar) 1 part dal, 3 part water and a pinch of turmeric per cup of dal. I cook it for three whistles and then turn off the stove. I let the pressure release naturally. No quick release. That done, then comes the tadka (baghaar). Then of course there are other dals to be cooked but thats another post. cheers.

Hello All, I have been thinking of preparing some meals from the fishes I used to eat as a kid in India. My family is from Bengal and I was raised on diet of Rui, Katla, Ilish, Magur etc. (I dont know their english names). So far I have always prepared them using the traditional Bengali recipes. But now I am inclined towards just grilling/roasting/steaming them with some spicy rubs. To that end I am interested in cutting the filets from these fishes. So far I have always got them cut into steaks (I think thats the word. I may be wrong though) and these fishes usually have lot of bones to deal with. I want to know if anybody has ever tried filets of the fishes I mention above and if anyone can tell me how they cut it. I was told that these fishes do not lend well to filets and just wanted to get other opinions on the matter. Thanks all. Abhi.

Hello All, I have been thinking of preparing some meals from the fishes I used to eat as a kid in India. My family is from Bengal and I was raised on diet of Rui, Katla, Ilish, Magur etc. (I dont know their english names). So far I have always prepared them using the trditional bengali recipes. But now I am inclined towards just grilling/roasting/steaming them with some spicy rubs. To that end I am interested in cutting the filets from these fishes. So far I have always got them cut into steaks (I think thats the word. I may be wrong though) and these fishes usually have lot of bones to deal with. I want to know if anybody has ever tried filets of the fishes I mention above and if anyone can tell me how they cut it. I was told that these fishes do not lend well to filets and just wanted to get other opinions on the matter. Thanks all. Abhi.

I do not have a Weber kettle it is some cheap make I got from Walmart. Based on the suggestions what I saw so far, I will have to spend around $100-$200. I think I will go and visit the black smith shop in my area and see what can be done there. I have made arrangements for a fire pit of sorts. I will try to hunt some more before buying a Weber or some other accessory.

Thanks all, I said no motors because the ones I saw on the net did not have any height adjustment capabilities. But if I can get some thing that allows me to adjust height I can go for it. I dont have anything similar right now. My current set up is just a kettle (24-30 inches diameter of the cooking surface). I have some thing of a back yard. I can actually build a pit there. I was thinking of some setup to place there and operate as I have mentioned (dripping pan and adjustable height). If something electric is available then no problem. I saw some rotisserie accessories in walmart but the package said gas grill. I was hoping I could get some thing similar for a kettle. Your responses suggest there are such things available. I will explore the sites and suggestions mentioned by you and will be back with what I find. Thanks again.

This is my first post in EG forums. I have discovered a new love for roasted meats. I am trying to get a rotating spit setup for my back yard but I am falling short of ideas. What I have in mind is a rotating spit that can handle about 15 pounds of meat and a set up for varying the height (distance from the flame/coals). I will also like to get a dripping pan (cast iron probably??) I am not looking for a motorized set up. I am willing to go with a manual operation spit. My research so far on the EG forum and google.....revealed sites like spitjack.com I do not have a fireplace so I cannot do fireplace cooking. Has any one ever got any thing made locally by some blacksmiths (??) or any other metal works businesses??? I trying to save some money and will like to avoid buying an expensive set up from any kind of shop. Also, I think I am not really taking into account everything I may need to get my roasting routines up and running. So suggestions are welcome. Thanks. -abhi